Izzie Roberts (City Girls)
Isabelle "Izzie" Roberts is a fictional character from London based drama series City Girls created by Hannah. Izzie is represented by actress Shelley Hennig . ''Shelley Hennig ''was crowned Miss Teen USA back in 2004 where she represented Louisiana. Shelley went on to star as Stephanie Johnson on Days of our Lives where she was nominated as Outstanding Younger Actress in both 2010 and 2012. After leaving Days in 2011, Shelley took on a main role as Diana Meade in primetime show The Secret Circle, however the show was axed after one season. Shelley has since guest starred in Justified, Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous and most recently Teen Wolf. You can follow actress Shelley Hennig on Twitter Casting When planning began back in 2008 for the new London based drama series, there were many casting ideas for the three main roles of Izzie, Holly and Ashley. The actresses considered for the role of Izzie were Emma Rigby (Hollyoaks, These Days), Gemma Atkinson (Hollyoaks) and Tammin Sursok (Pretty Little Liars, Home and Away). After watching scenes of Shelley Hennig as Days of our Lives' Stephanie Johnson, creator Hannah realised that Shelley was perfect for the role of Izzie. Characterisation and Backstory Izzie tends to keep people at a distance, her innocent exterior hides a complex and heartbreaking history. After watching her father John battle cancer for most of her life leaving him both physically and mentally disabled, Izzie has faced a constant battle to stop her life from falling apart. As a teenager, Izzie's first boyfriend Rick Ashby led a troubled Izzie astray by encouraging her to drink. Upset by her family's troubles, Izzie often self-harmed and used alcohol to drown out her pain. After discovering Rick's cheating ways, everything began to get on top of Izzie and she tried to commit suicide. Thankfully her best friends Holly and Ashley were able to get her to the hospital in time and gave her the support she needed to rebuild her life. Season One In the second episode of the drama series, it was revealed that Izzie was raped after a night out, but she at first kept her ordeal a secret from her friends. Izzie fell into her old habits of drinking and self-harm as she tried to come to terms with her attack, eventually Izzie confided the truth in her work colleague Mike Taylor. However, as Izzie and Mike got closer, Izzie found memories of her rape return. Izzie realised that Mike was her rapist and in a special two-hander episode, the extent of Mike's past was revealed. Mike was a severely damaged individual who had witnessed the rape of his mother by his own father who later killed himself. The episode ended with a cliff hanger as Izzie struggled to prevent Mike from shooting himself. After Mike was sectioned, Izzie struggled to rebuild her life. Izzie got herself on track after she found a job working as a trainee journalist for the West Lodge Advertiser where she met the charming, but arrogant Max Warren, thus beginning City Girls' first ever love story. Izzie and Max's banter soon led to flirting, but a series of events such as Izzie's attempts of undercover journalism threatened their budding romance. In an emotional moment, Izzie revealed the truth about her rape and this led to an understanding between the two. The chemistry between Max and Izzie was explosive and in the season finale, Max finally gave Izzie an ultimatum about their future. When Izzie didn't turn up to meet him, Max was disappointed that things were over before they really begun. But at the same time, a news report showed that Mike Taylor had escaped from his psychiatric hospital. Season Two As Season Two began, Izzie was tied up somewhere with Mike, who determined that if he couldn't have her, no one else would either. Holly and Max teamed up together to find Izzie and when they talked to a former colleague of Mike's, they were able to track Izzie down to a garage where Mike had been keeping Izzie. In an intense car chase, Mike forced his car off the road and down a cliff. Max was forced to hold Izzie back as Mike perished in a car explosion. Izzie struggled to live with her guilt - she believed that she could have helped Mike and she resorted to her former comfort vodka. Max soon became worried about Izzie's drinking and finally persuaded her to join AA, where she met the mysterious Jake Garrison. Izzie and Jake's friendship went from strength to strength, leaving Max feeling somewhat jealous. Izzie managed to get her life back on track, until she confronted Sean Carver after realising that he had got Ashley hooked on cocaine. In revenge, Sean spiked Izzie's drink making it look like she fell of the wagon. This led to the destruction of her relationship with Max. Drew also mourned the end of his relationship with Ashley and in a shocking twist, he and Izzie fell into bed. However, what Izzie didn't realise was that Max was on his way to propose to her. In a final season two twist, a flashback revealed Jake's true identity - he was the love child of Izzie's father John. Season Three Izzie and Drew struggled with their guilt over their one night stand, especially after Izzie's engagement to Max and Drew's reunion with Ashley. The guilt soon became too much for Izzie and she confessed the truth to Max. Max lashed out at Drew leading the truth to come out in front of Ashley, Holly and Jack. Ashley and Max refused to forgive Izzie leaving Izzie to fall off the wagon. Events led to the 'Who Killed Drew' storyline. Invesitgating officer Nathan Phillips took a shine to Izzie leading Max to become jealous. Things got complicated when Izzie's finger prints were found on the knife that killed Drew. Max confessed to murder to protect Izzie, but she had already been cleared as she remembered she had got drunk at the club and ended up self-harming with the same knife that killed Drew. After Ashley's arrest, Izzie refused to believe her friend was guilty, putting an end to Izzie's budding romance with Nathan. Izzie found a letter from Drew's sister Jen which led to a witness. It was revealed that Sean had killed both Jen and Drew. After Sean's arrest, Nathan's actions led to a reunion between Max and Izzie. The season finale ended with a cliff hanger when Jake and Max found a positive pregnancy test in the bin, at the same time the three girls were visiting a doctor, where he confirmed that one of the three girls was pregnant. Season Four Despite Ashley taking responsibility for the pregnancy test, Izzie eventually confessed that she was the one who was pregnant. Izzie and Max eventually put their issues aside and began to look forward to parenthood. However, the arrival of Amanda Samuels at the West Lodge Advertiser caused Izzie a number of headaches. Bitchy Amanda enjoyed to make an hormonal Izzie feel insecure in her relationship. Meanwhile, Izzie was in for a shock when over Christmas it was revealed that her father John's cancer had returned and was terminal. The Roberts family came together and were devastated as John revealed the truth about his son Jake. With Izzie by his side, John passed away leaving behind his fractured family. Izzie eventually opened up and allowed Jake into her life. The last part of Season Four was a rollercoaster for Izzie as a clash with Amanda ended up with Izzie at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Izzie and Max were relieved to be told that baby Chloe would be okay, with a little help from Jake, Max created the perfect romantic setting and proposed to Izzie. In a cruel twist, a car accident saw the stress take it's toll on Izzie's body and she went into labour three months early. In the most heartbreaking scenes of City Girls' history, baby Chloe died and Izzie and Max grieved the loss of their daughter. Season Five Season Five is due to begin in June 2014, it is set four years after the Season Four Finale. Only Shelley Hennig (Izzie), Rachel Melvin (Holly) and Julie Marie Berman (Ashley) have been confirmed to return.